Chapter XVII

The Flight to Safety

Hours later all three of us were headed out the door. Lucia was dressed provocative enough to turn any man's head, and most women too. She was wearing a really tight red polyester dress. The neckline was cut past naughty. It was shameless. The side slit was up to her hip and she had on four inch red heels. Long gold earrings, half a dozen gold bracelets, and that many gold necklaces. Even as pretty as she naturally was, she didn't look sexy, she look gaudy.

I was wearing a yellow cotton sundress, big sunglasses, short red wig, and wearing white sneakers. Of course my skin was still brown from the tannic acid bath at Mike's but it couldn't be helped. I had a carry on flight bag, camera, shoulder purse, backpack, and an obvious travel guide in my left hand. I don't believe anyone ever looked more like a tourist than me at that moment. Oh yes, I was chewing bubble gum and obnoxiously popping bubbles to everyone's annoyance.

It wasn't much of an airport. They only had one commuter flight in and out every Tuesday and Friday of the week. Supposedly at four o'clock in the afternoon. Lucia told me they were never on schedule.

Junita and Lucia had warned me to keep my distance from them. I strolled into the terminal a few minutes after they entered. Junita was already attracting attention from the Federalies. She was dressed in my clothes and carrying a rope. We couldn't find a lariat on short notice. She was a magnet for the policia. They were converging on her from all sides. She was at the ticket counter trying to purchase a ticket to the United States. I was hoping she didn't get in too much trouble for what she was doing.

The twin engine plane landed and five or six people were getting off. Lucia waved at one of the men. "Carlos, you came back for me."

The guy stopped and stared.

She ran up and wrapped her arms around him. "Oh Carlos, I didn't think you meant it when you said you were leaving me for that other woman."

His face turned red. He was trying to push Lucia away as he screamed something in Spanish at her. She dug in and held on as he franticly tried to back away from her.

"Oh Carlos, you love me. I know you do. Don't try and deny it. We'll live together and be lovers once more."

There was a woman screaming something over on the other side of the terminal as she pointed at Lucia and the man. The policia and Federalies were starting to mill in confusion. It seemed everyone in the terminal was screaming something at someone.

I walked up to the ticket counter. "One to Lima, Peru please."

The man looked at my face for a minute and then to the confusion in the airport. He looked back at me. "You American?"

"No, Irish. I'm on a student visa. I thought I'd see part of the continent before I had to go back to college next month." I was hoping he couldn't see my insides shaking. I felt like jello inside. I nonchalantly blew a bubble and popped it.

He nodded. "It's three seventy two in American."

I handed him the money Lucia had gave to me. "Next time I'll bike it."

His eyes squinted as he studied me. "You obviously don't know how far it is? You can't bike it."

"Oh? We can go anywhere in Ireland on a bike." I wondered if I had overdone it?

"Tourists!" He said in a condescending way as he handed me a ticket. “The plane leaves in thirty minutes."

I looked around as everyone was still screaming at everyone. "Can I get on now. It's a little noisy in here."

He waved his hand in the air in resignation. "Do as you please."

I strolled out to the plane like I didn't have a care in the world. My mouth was dry and my knees were knocking together.

I found a seat on the side away from the terminal. I looked out and the policia were loading up a dozen people in their cars. Lucia and Junita were two of them. I was ashamed for leaving them like that. I had no idea how much trouble they could be in because of me.

People were finally getting on the plane. They no longer had entertainment in the terminal to watch. A short time later a couple men opened up the side door and began throwing packages and luggage on. It was piled loosely in the back part of the plane behind the passenger seats. Two more men with uniforms walked out, spoke to the men who had loaded the packages, and then they climbed on the plane. They went up front and in a couple minutes the left engine started and then the right engine. I don't think I have ever seen such a poor excuse for an airplane in my whole life. Both engines were smoking, the wings were covered in oil, the plane was filthy inside and out.

A couple of uniforms came out from the terminal and headed for the plane. My heart leapt up in my throat as they stepped on. One of them guarded the door while the other walked up to the front of the plane and talked to the pilots. I knew I was going to be dragged off that plane. The one up front turned around and looked straight at me. I think I died at that moment. He smiled and then walked to the back. I was too terrified to look. I knew they were coming back to handcuff me. I was frozen unable to move.

The door slammed, the engines revved up, and we moved forward. One of the engines coughed. That airplane lumbered and bounced across the field as it picked up speed. We came off the ground. The same engine coughed and we settled back down on the ground. We bounced along the ground forever before we finally struggled back into the air. The trees and mountains were rushing toward us as we wallowed sluggishly along. I knew we were all going to die. The plane banked to the left as it struggled to stay airborne. Finally it leveled out and slowly clawed its way up toward the clouds and the top of the mountains. I figured all of us on that plane had used up any lucky charms we might have been saving.

Only then was I able to summon up enough courage to look around where I figured the two uniforms would be in the back. They weren’t there. I started shaking all over from nervous relief. I had no idea why they didn’t arrest me. I was sure I looked like a deer caught in the headlights when that soldier or policeman looked at me. There was no doubt I had ‘guilty as sin’ written all over my face. Was that a common expression for people in this part of the world? I had to get more self control or the next soldier I met might not be so forgiving.

The right engine coughed most of the way to Atacama, Chile. About twenty miles from the airport oil really started pouring from it. Finally it gasped its last gasp and died. I was ready to grab a parachute and jump. Looking toward the cockpit the pilots seemed non perplexed by the situation. The other six passengers on that plane didn't seem to notice anything amiss either. I was wondering if this was a normal flight for them?

We hit hard on landing. When they taxied up to the terminal and killed the left engine, oil ran out of it in a small steady stream. I was sure all of us had been given a reprieve by the grim reaper. I can tell you I was never so glad to get off a plane in my whole life.

In the terminal I handed the man my ticket and the passport Lucia had gave me. He looked at it and then back at me. "Renee OToole?"

"Yes?" I was furiously chewing my bubble gum trying to blow a bubble. It wasn't working.

He handed the passport back. "I went to Dublin once. Down on Wicket Street there is a little bakery. It has the best croissants you ever tasted. Sharties was the name. You been there?"

I shook my head. "No, I was raised down near Cork. That's in the southern part of Ireland. Didn't get to Dublin much."

"You were raised in Cork?" He punched my ticket and handed me another one.

"No, I was raised near Cork. Briar is the little village where I was born." My insides were quivering. Lucia didn't have a whole lot of time to prep me about being Irish.

He was studying me. "You don't talk Irish."

I forced a laugh. "Probably not. My parents moved back to Ireland before I was born. They were both raised in America. I didn't get a chance to pick up the Irish brogue."

"Your flight to Lima, Peru leaves in an hour. The numbers on the tail of the plane are one six one. They will be arriving in ten minutes. When the other passengers get off you can get on anytime after that." He was working on some paperwork on his desk as he spoke.

"Uh, it's not like the kind of plane I got off of is it?" I was sure I didn't want to get on another one of those planes. I would rather go back to Brazil in handcuffs.

He laughed. "No, I wouldn't get on THAT plane for a million pesos. That's Central Flights out of Paraguay. They are always flying hoping the angels will carry them home. Your plane is Peru International Airways. They keep their planes maintained and their pilots are the best."

"That's a relief to hear. Thanks." I walked over to one of the chairs in the lounge and sit down. While I was waiting, there were a couple of uniforms walk by. They didn't give me a second glance.

The flight to Peru was a breeze. The man at the ticket counter had been right. The plane was a large jet and it was in seriously well cared for condition. Customs in Lima, Peru never gave me much more than a cursory glance when I showed them my passport. The man was looking at my passport. "How long you intend on staying in Peru, Miss OToole?"

"Three or four days. I wanted to do a little sightseeing before I went back to college. What do you recommend for interesting sights?" I was so full of lies I was sure they would see right through me.

He glanced up without ever really looking as he handed back my fake passport. "Stop at the information desk in the front. They can give you directions. Thank you for stopping at our city and please enjoy yourself while you're here."

If I was shaking half as bad as I felt, I was sure he would notice and pull me into a back room for interrogation. Thank God for bored customs agents. The man was on auto pilot as he did his routine. I did stop at the information desk. I asked for directions to a decent hotel. I didn't want the man in customs to see me walk by the information booth without stopping after I told him I was a tourist.

I caught a taxi out front. "US Embassy."

"Si senorita." We sped off down the street.

The driver stopped in front of the embassy. I remembered to pay him. I walked up to the Marine at the gate. "I'm Katrina McDonald and I need to see our ambassador."

"What is the problem, Miss McDonald?" The Marine didn't seem too moved by my request.

"I was kidnapped in Brazil and escaped with help from some people I met. I have some serious information about our radar planes. Whatever you call them? You know? The ones that fly in the sky and pick up enemy planes and friendly planes and direct traffic?"

He got serious. "Are you talking about the AWACS? Who kidnapped you in Brazil?"

"Yes, that's the name of the plane. I have some information about some of the electrical gadgets that go in them. It seems one of them crashed in Brazil and their military picked up something in the wreckage. It gives up all the secrets to how they work." I was wishing we were doing this inside the embassy rather then out on the sidewalk in front of the building. I felt a little paranoid about how vulnerable I was to anyone who wanted to drive by and shoot me.

"Wait here." He picked up a telephone and began talking.

In less than three minutes he hung up. "Follow me."

He turned and walked inside the fence before he stopped. "Open all your luggage."

I dropped my luggage on the ground and opened my purse, backpack, and flight bag. I didn't have much. Lucinda had thrown in a few pants, underclothes, a couple dresses, and an extra pair of sneakers. I was probably under packed to be a real tourist. At least the customs agents didn't seem to notice.

The Marine went through every thing thoroughly. Finally he was finished. "You have anything hidden on you?"

I shook my head. "No."

He held out his hand. "Let me see your passport."

I opened up the camera and pulled out my real passport. I handed it over to him.

He searched inside my purse and pulled out the fake passport Lucia had given to me. "What's this?"

"That's what got me out of Paraguay. I told you I was kidnapped in Brazil. Their military was part of the kidnappers. If I had shown my real passport to get out of the country I wouldn't have made it." I wasn't scared. I had no idea what they did to anyone they found traveling on a fake passport. It didn't matter. I was through being Renee OToole.

"Who gave you this other passport?" He was looking at me real hard.